Jasper had needed to walk a fine line with Viper, convincing him to let the team incorporate all of the elements she needed for the plan to work without being too pushy.
One, she had to swing by the front row of the audience, specifically the section where Ringmaster’s henchpeople sat. This came with the added bonus of getting to use a grappling hook.
Two, she needed a blackout.
Three, she needed a very loud distraction.
The team waited in the wings at the back of the circus tent as their time neared, listening to the announcer warm up the audience, watching from the shadows.
“Are you guys ready?” Jasper asked in a low voice.
“You’ve asked us that twenty times,” Holly replied.
“Just making sure.”
Grace glanced at Jasper. It was a little surprising how well she managed to pull off the borderline ridiculous gold wig Jasper had found for her. “Are you going to race?”
Jasper shrugged. “I’m going to try to find Ringmaster before the race starts, but if I don’t, I’ll have to show up to the race to find him.”
Thea folded her arms. “And what is the plan after that, exactly?”
“We’re going to catch him,” Jasper said, injecting more confidence into her voice than she actually felt. “He’s powerful, but not so strong that we can’t knock him out and lock him up. All we need is to stop him from helping Starr, figure out what they’re planning with the warps, and find physical proof that they’re working together.” Easy peasy.
“Why take Ringmaster alive?” Holly asked. “It’s not like he’s going to cooperate with us.”
“I’d like to see what he has to say about the matter,” Jasper replied. She gave a slight shrug. “Who knows? Maybe he’ll be willing to expose Starr. I doubt he’s loyal to anything other than the man’s money and protection.”
“Would you let him go in exchange for helping you?”
Before Jasper could figure out her response to Holly’s question, a worker approached the team. “You’re on.”
The lights in the tent dimmed. Music started. One large spotlight landed on the five as they emerged, then split in two. One beam followed Holly, Dax and Thea, while the other stayed on Grace as she grabbed Jasper and flew into the air.
Holly and Dax linked their hands for Thea to step on and lifted her into the air. Thea raised her arms. Scrappy robotic birds darted out from where they’d been hidden among the audience to form a flock circling the arena.
Grace released her hold on Jasper’s wrists. The spotlight followed Jasper as she fell and grabbed the first trapeze with one hand. With the other, she sent a knife flying toward Thea. She released the first trapeze and grabbed the second.
A bird swooped down to snatch the knife before it could reach Thea. Then, it turned and flew toward Jasper. Jasper tuned out the gasps from the crowd, the hum of the bird’s machinery, her own heavy breathing. The only sound in the world was a ringing in her ears as the bird sliced through the trapeze rope with the knife.
She twisted in the air and lifted her hands. Grace tossed her the grappling hook. They’d practiced the throw countless times, but the fear still flashed in Grace’s eyes as it sailed through the air.
Jasper caught it, aimed at a distant rafter, and fired. The hook caught. She glided a few feet over the ground before moving into the air over the audience. As she swung back, she neared the bench where Viper sat in the front row, supervising the show.
Thea snapped her fingers, and the lights went out. Jasper switched to night vision and located the ring of keys on Viper’s belt. She slipped a tiny knife into her hand.
“Three, two, one,” she whispered into her comm.
Thea set off the bomb. The ground trembled as Jasper sliced through the belt loop and hooked a finger through the key ring. The fireworks going off at the center of the arena, small as they were, hid the sounds of clinking metal.
Jasper released the grappling hook at the peak of her swing. Grace soared through the air to grab her. Jasper’s heart skipped a beat as they collided, but Grace managed the catch perfectly.
“Good job, Angel,” Jasper whispered. She offered Grace a reassuring smile.
“Oh, um, thanks,” Grace stammered. Her heart pounded fast enough in her chest that one of Jasper’s various sensors made note of it. She brought them to the floor of the arena in a smooth landing and let go of Jasper.
That was the end of the opening act. As the man lights came back on, more performers entered the tent and hurried into the arena, mostly by means of flips or somersaults or dancing. The plan was for the team to fade into the background for a few minutes and leave when the next act came on.
Jasper would be slipping out a little early.
After Grace released her on the ground, she and the others joined a line of dancers. Among the torch jugglers and music and streamers and ribbons and gold-painted animals, they faded from the center of attention. Jasper performed some twirls with far more enthusiasm than necessary and caught Grace restraining a laugh at the sight.
Not scared of me anymore, I hope. Jasper winked at her.
In the low light at the edge of the tent, Jasper ducked and rolled, passing under a small elephant and narrowly avoiding its feet. She popped up on the other side, darted to an exit flap and slipped out.
Jasper walked to the main facility building, periodically checking if Mia’s sphere was in range. She passed by the side of the building where their rooms were located, and her brain finally linked to the A.I. “Mia, call contact one,” she whispered. “Leave the message I recorded.”
She circled around to the front door and paused to look up. Most stars in the black sky were overwhelmed by the lights of the carnival. A golden songbird flitted across her view and landed on top of a nearby ticket booth that had closed for the night. It looked like one of the painted animals performing in the show.
Though…it could have been the lights, but Jasper swore the bird was emitting a faint glow. She frowned.
There were no voices, no footsteps when she entered the white building. She headed for the offices, her hand tight around the keys she’d stolen from Viper. When she stopped in front of the door to the manager’s office, she inspected the lock and compared an X-ray scan to the keys on the loop to find the right one. She stuck it in, turned it, and pushed the door open.
The room was empty. White floor, white walls, white ceiling, and nothing in between.
This was the office they were supposed to stay out of? The most secure place in the carnival? There had to be a secret door or something. Jasper walked to the center of the room and turned in a slow circle. No cracks, no buttons. X-ray and heat vision revealed nothing.
“You’re not the first to break in here.”
Jasper whirled around. Viper stood in the doorway. “It makes a great trap,” he continued. “To weed out the recruits trying to spy on or steal from Ringmaster.”
Jasper could handle Viper. It wasn’t the dagger in his hand that sent her heart racing, but the realization that the rest of the team was in danger.
Viper threw the dagger. Jasper dodged, but it gave him the chance to rush forward, grab her, and shove her against the nearest wall. “What are you looking for?” he demanded. “Who are you, really?”
“You’ll have to do better than that if you want information from me,” Jasper hissed, hoping to alert the others to the danger.
Viper’s grasp tightened. Jasper struggled for a moment before feigning defeat. He relaxed ever-so-slightly, and she kneed him in the stomach. The blow was enough for her to break free and duck out of his reach.
She snatched the dagger off the floor and drove it into Viper’s arm when he tried to grab her again. He staggered away, leaving her free to sprint out the door.
“Guys, can you hear me?” Jasper asked as she ran. “Viper found me. Our cover’s blown.”
Nothing.
Footsteps signaled Viper was following. Jasper headed to the team’s suite, threw her coat and helmet on over her carnival uniform, and grabbed the motorcycle from where it rested against the wall. Viper entered the room. She knocked him into the wall with the motorcycle.
Then, she climbed on, raced out of the building, and headed for the big tent.